Elysian Brewing makes Jacktail Hazy IPA a year-round beer

Elysian Brewing has moved Jacktail Hazy IPA from a spring debut into its year-round lineup, giving the Seattle brewery another permanent hazy at 6.1% ABV and 40 IBUs. The beer now sits beside Space Dust IPA, the taproom experiment first brewed in 2012 that grew into Elysian’s signature beer, which makes Jacktail less of a one-off release and more of a portfolio decision.

Jacktail is built for the part of the market that still rewards soft, fruit-forward hazies. Elysian describes the beer with mango, papaya and citrus notes, wrapped in a velvety haze and a medium-bodied finish that keeps the beer approachable without stripping away hop character. That profile fits squarely between easy-drinking hazy pale ales and the more saturated, higher-octane hazy IPAs that dominate cooler doors and tap lists.

The brewery’s year-round lineup now makes that strategy plain. Jacktail appears alongside Space Dust, Juice Dust Juicy IPA, Phaze Dust Imperial Hazy IPA, Dawn Again Hazy Pale Ale, Contact Haze Hazy IPA and Dayglow IPA, a core family that shows Elysian leaning hard into hop-forward beers rather than treating haze as a passing fad. For a brand built on Space Dust, Jacktail looks like an attempt to widen the lane, not replace the flagship.

That matters because Space Dust still does the heavy lifting as the most recognizable name in the portfolio, while Jacktail gives Elysian another beer that can chase shelf space, tap handles and recurring purchases with a different flavor cue. The economics are different too. A permanent hazy can earn steadier placement than a seasonal, and it gives retailers and bars one more reliable option when they want something juicy but not as aggressive as a double IPA.

Jacktail also picked up a festival-stage boost. It is the official craft beer of Jackalope Jamboree 2026, the three-day music festival set for June 25-27 at the historic Happy Canyon Arena in Pendleton, Oregon, with 30-plus acts on three stages and Hodgen Distributing as presenting sponsor. That kind of tie-in gives the beer a live-event identity that fits Elysian’s Pacific Northwest music-and-adventure image.

Jacktail is already being rolled out on draught, in 19.2-ounce cans and in six-packs of 12-ounce cans across the West. In a hazy market that has matured but not gone quiet, Elysian is betting that a well-positioned permanent beer can still earn its spot next to Space Dust.